School Report Cards show educational gaps, glimpses of hope

Although newly released school report cards by the South Carolina Department of Education show that students in Barnwell and Allendale counties are falling behind in most subjects, the report cards also contain hope for the region’s school systems.

During a press conference held Oct. 10 at Kelly Edwards Elementary School (KEES) in Williston, State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver announced the results of the report cards, and praised apparent increases in school quality.

“The best news is that we have seen an 8.5 percent decrease in schools rated below average or unsatisfactory,” Weaver said. “But, we can’t sugarcoat the truth. Just over 50 percent of our students statewide are on grade level in reading and just over 40 percent of our students statewide are on grade level in math.”

The School Report Cards, based on South Carolina’s education accountability system, are required for all elementary, middle, and high schools which receive overall ratings based on a 100-point scale. The ratings follow terms outlined in state law: Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average, and Unsatisfactory. Schools also receive ratings on various indicators such as academic achievement, college and career-readiness, and graduation rate.

Local report cards

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, test scores among American students have dropped significantly. Test scores began to recover as school systems across the country reopened, however, they remain below pre-pandemic test scores.

At the press conference, the South Carolina Department of Education announced that the number of schools within South Carolina that are defined as ‘excellent’ increased during the 2022–23 school year. However, a two-year gap exists within data due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The previous two report cards came from the 2018-19 and 2021-22 school years.

Across the three most recent report cards that exist, an increasing number of South Carolina’s elementary schools are defined as “good or excellent” and “average,” while the number of elementary schools defined as “below average or unsatisfactory” has fallen. The report cards were based on a 100-point scale and took into account numerous different factors like school environment, academic achievement, multilingual learning progress and student safety, among others.

According to the Institute for Education Sciences, which provides data to the United States Department of Education, half of the country’s students began the 2022-23 school year a full year behind grade level in at least one subject.

Although the report cards released imply an increase in school quality, schools in Barnwell and Allendale counties showed a variety of results. Barnwell Elementary School received an “average” score of 50, while Barnwell High School received an “average” score of 53. Other schools within Barnwell County are Williston-Elko High School, which received an “average” score of 57, Blackville-Hilda High School, which received a “below average” score of 49 and Macedonia Elementary-Middle School, which received a “below average” score of 40.

Allendale-Fairfax Elementary School received an “average” score of 52, while Allendale-Fairfax High School received an “unsatisfactory” score of 31.

However, at KEES, where the press conference was held, the school received an “excellent” score of 71, a turnaround from previous years. In 2018, the school was rated at 28.

“‘Growth Over Gaps' became our mantra,” said KEES Principal Monique Smalls, who joined the school during the 2021-22 school year. “We were able to have target[ed] student interventions, incentivize student growth and achievement, and get students excited about learning and their personal gains.”

"The performance of schools like Kelly Edwards Elementary is evidence that high academic standards, quality teaching, parental and community support, and a relentless focus on helping students get what they need each day to thrive are critical components to success,” said Education Oversight Committee (EOC) Chair April Allen.

Weaver said one of the greatest joys of her job is visiting schools like KEES to “see firsthand how strong principal leadership – paired with high-quality curriculum and professional development for teachers – is building a culture of academic achievement and proving that all students can attain excellence. The faculty, staff, and students at Kelly Edwards are living proof of the progress that is possible with a clear vision and alignment of resources around what matters most: student success.”

Student Performance

The state of South Carolina defines “meeting or exceeding expectations” as receiving test scores above a C. In comparison to the state average, Barnwell and Allendale’s students underperformed in English, Mathematics, Biology and History.

In English, 42.3 percent of Barnwell Elementary School students, 54.2 percent of KEES students, 20.2 percent of Macedonia Elementary-Middle School and 38.4 percent of Allendale-Fairfax Elementary School students received a C or higher. The statewide average was 53.9 percent for elementary school students. In high school level English, 47.1 percent of Barnwell High School students, 45.5 percent of Williston-Elko High School students, 66.0 percent of Blackville-Hilda High School students, and 42.2 percent of Allendale-Fairfax High School students received a C or higher. The statewide average was 64.4 percent for high school students.

SCDE and EOC officials are encouraged to see continued progression from schools that rebounded from the challenges brought on by the pandemic, specifically citing the gains in English Language Arts scores, but they stress there is much work ahead for all students.

In mathematics, 38.4 percent of Barnwell Elementary School students, 56.3 percent of KEES students, 15.6 percent of Macedonia Elementary-Middle School students and 31.3 percent of Allendale elementary school students received a C or higher. The statewide average was 40.9 percent for elementary school students. In Algebra, 39.8 percent of Barnwell High School students, 14.7 percent of Williston-Elko High School students, 8.9 percent of Blackville-Hilda High School students and 18 percent of Allendale-Fairfax High School students scored a C or higher. The statewide average was 41.8 percent for high school students.

With more than half of the state’s students not meeting grade level standards in math, Allen states it will be a priority of the legislative committee she chairs.

“Looking forward, we must redouble our efforts to support early literacy using the Science of Reading, a strategy that we already see showing strong promise in SC’s ELA scores. We must also focus the same attention on boosting effective math materials and instruction. Our students will never get a second chance at their education, and our urgent priority must be equipping them with the foundational skills they need for success in school and life,” said Weaver.

Barnwell and Allendale’s high school students also struggled with Biology, with 24.8 percent of Barnwell High School students, 21 percent of Williston-Elko High School students, 61.4 percent of Blackville-Hilda High School students and 18 percent of Allendale-Fairfax High School students scoring a C or higher in comparison to the state average of 40.9 percent. Additionally, 42.9 percent of Barnwell High School students, 20.4 percent of Williston-Elko High School students, 22.0 percent of Blackville-Hilda High School students and 22.1 percent of Allendale-Fairfax High School students scored a C or higher in “U.S. History and the Constitution” in comparison to the state average of 42.1 percent.

A 2020 study by The Century Foundation found that public school systems in Barnwell and Allendale lack millions of dollars of funding needed to meet needs. The study further found that education quality within the country continues to worsen as public education is underfunded, and the United States underfunds education by $150 billion each year.

Weaver did not say if the state of South Carolina was researching why so many students fell behind in subjects like science and mathematics when The People-Sentinel asked at the Oct. 10 press conference.

“I know that these are trends that we’re seeing across the country and I know that we are reading research and talking with our peers in other states every day to learn from the strategies that they’re pursuing to close those gaps,” Weaver said.

Teacher pay increase

Although the region’s students are underperforming in comparison to the state of South Carolina, recent changes could help change course.

Since the pandemic, the United States has experienced a major teacher shortage caused by low pay, high turnover, declining job satisfaction and poor working conditions. According to the Center for American Progress, 300,000 teachers quit between February 2020 and March 2022.

Some of the areas of the country have responded to the shortage of teachers by lowering teaching certificate standards. In South Carolina, legislators in Columbia recently boosted teacher pay across the state.

At Barnwell Elementary School, average teacher pay is $53,257, up from the previous year’s $47,672 average. At Barnwell High School, average teacher pay is $56,927, up from the previous year’s $52,948 average, according to data from the report cards.

At Allendale-Fairfax Elementary School, average teacher pay is $52,023, up from the previous year’s $47,643 average. At Allendale-Fairfax High School, average teacher pay is $54,522, up from the previous year’s $51,389 average.

Studies show that there is a direct relationship between teacher salaries and student performance. In school districts with higher teacher salaries, student performance increases, as teacher turnover falls and working conditions increase.

To read the full report card for your child's school, go to www.screportcards.com.